Thanksgiving and giving thanks

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend here at Casa Stardom. Saturday involved a full day of fun at birthday parties and a street festival in Westboro. Sunday, we hosted a turkey dinner for family and friends and capped the evening with some games. Finally, Thanksgiving Monday was spent outside with family and at the park and we were treated to a wonderful lunch at the Newport. Life is good.

I meant to ask our dinner guests on Sunday to share something that they were thankful for but I forgot to ask in the flurry of dishing up. Instead, I’ll share some things that I am thankful for.

I’m thankful for my husband who still makes me laugh every day after almost fifteen years together. I am so proud of him for taking the plunge as a stay-at-home dad. He makes every day an adventure and I’m so glad that he chose me as his co-pilot.

I’m thankful for my beautiful, healthy boys. This past weekend, Max managed to crawl into bed beside me in the middle of the night without me even knowing and I woke up with his little sleeping body next to me. We definitely don’t want to make that a habit but it was pretty wonderful to cuddle him and watch him sleep. He barely slows down these days so getting a quick cuddle in is time well spent. Leo is on the run exploring everything and trying desperately to talk to us. His frantic run to the door every night when I get home from work for a big hug is something to look forward to.

I’m thankful for my family. We’re close-knit and crazy. Our brand of crazy doesn’t work for everybody but it works for us because we love and support each other no matter what.

I’m thankful for my other family, the Stardoms. We’re having an extended visit with them in November and I’m really excited to see them all. To share conversation and some shopping with my mother-in-law, to see Murray and Kathy’s new house and Kathy’s baby bump, to share some Winnipeg attractions with the boys, to see John’s dad and stepmum in Winnipeg for the first time in years and so much more.

I’m thankful for my friends near and far who add richness and depth to my life. For my friend Kerry who treated me to a crazy big Starbucks hot chocolate this afternoon as we discussed the merits of The Social Network and laughed like crazy when the barista delivered an “Iced Vente Iced Water with Ice”, a.k.a a big glass of ice water. For my friend Renee who shared Thanksgiving dinner with us and did a crazy pile of dishes so that my kitchen actually looked better after dinner than it had before dinner. For my friends Is and Greg who took me to their favourite brunch place in their new neighbourhood in Toronto last weekend for perfect waffles and poached eggs.

I’m thankful that our fridge and pantry are full and we're able to feed the boys a healthy and varied diet. Thanksgiving is an excellent reminder that so many people in our community are not as lucky and fortunate as us.

I’m thankful for my health. I beat myself up about the extra pounds I carry around on my frame but this body plays a mean game of ultimate and shot two babies out in pretty spectacular fashion. Kind of like Spartacat's t-shirt gun. I have work to do but I’ll get there.

I’m thankful for the little things too – a great new dress for work that I picked up in Toronto last weekend, pumpkin pie, great garage sale finds, getting a seat on the bus on the way home so that I can read a great book (just finished the first book in the Millennium Trilogy), fall leaves, sunny and crisp days, a funny podcast, catching all of the previews at a movie, and so much more.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving wherever you are and that you had a moment to reflect on what you are thankful for too.